The UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has approved lecanemab, a new Alzheimer’s drug designed to slow cognitive decline in patients with the disease.
This marks the first licensed treatment in Britain aimed at slowing Alzheimer’s progression rather than just managing its symptoms.
Lecanemab, developed by the Japanese pharmaceutical company Eisai, uses antibodies to target and clear the proteins that build up in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients. Clinical trials have shown that the drug can reduce cognitive decline by about 25% in people in the early stages of the disease.
Despite this approval, the drug will not be widely available through the National Health Service (NHS). The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has determined that the benefits of lecanemab are too small to justify its high cost, which is approximately £20,000 ($26,000) per patient per year in the US.
The drug has been met with mixed reactions internationally. While the US approved lecanemab last year, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) rejected it in July, citing limited benefits and potential risks.
Alzheimer’s researchers and charities have praised the approval as a significant scientific breakthrough, noting that lecanemab represents a shift toward treatments that address the disease’s progression. However, Hilary Evans-Newton, chief executive of Alzheimer’s Research UK, described the news as “bittersweet.” She highlighted that the high cost of the drug will limit its accessibility to those who can afford it through private healthcare, leaving many patients without access.
Currently, mild dementia caused by Alzheimer’s affects around 5% of people over 65 and 25% of those over 80, according to NICE. The approval of lecanemab represents a hopeful step forward for Alzheimer’s treatment, but its widespread availability remains uncertain.